Vale: Mike Raymond

Sports broadcaster Mike Raymond, who was the voice of Seven motorsports, has died aged 76.

He died following a short illness with pneumonia on Thursday.

Raymond began his TV career on Sydney’s Speedway scene in the 1960s, before a two-decade stint as the voice of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the Bathurst 1000 from the mid-1970s until 1995.

Along the way he was part of the innovative Seven Network team that pioneered the race cam concept in 1979, providing the first live on-board, in-race TV footage.

Raymond was also a producer, worked as Seven’s Head of Sport in Sydney and played a key role in the introduction of the V8-powered Ford versus Holden formula that followed the Group A era in 1993.

Craig Lowndes said, “He was the voice behind everything. He had a very unique voice and it didn’t matter if you couldn’t see him, you would hear that voice and know exactly who it was.”

Mark Skaife addd, “He was the face of Channel Seven for so many years and he was instrumental in Supercars and the V8 category as we know it. He was a man who loved the sport and so much of what we’ve got today has been as a consequence of Mike’s contribution to this industry.”

It's been a sad day for all of us here at @Channel7 as we lost the man who coined the phrase "Be there". After a short illness, legendary Motorsports broadcaster Mike Raymond passed away at 76. Today the tributes flowed from past and current champions. @JimWilsonTV#VASC#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/PXSOcnje4f